The Other Ring.

The Start

MONDAY

Jane marched into Wind's vacated room, armed only with an empty trash bag and a sense of mission. The room was in the usual disheveled, filthy state in which Wind usually left it, with candy bar wrappers and food scraps left everywhere, scattered like the place had been ransacked by a hungry ten-year-old.

Wind, she mentally addressed her absent sibling as she tossed the refuse into the plastic bag, are you incapable of doing anything for yourself, other than mooching off us and screwing up relationships?

Jane: (Thoughts) I don't ask much out of a living space, but I draw the line at attracting rats and mice. She couldn't abide the vermin; they nibbled on her paintings.

Which is why, every time Wind departed after one of his unannounced visits, she found herself playing maid, scouring his room for every last bread crust and empty soft drink can he had left behind, leaving nothing that might attract art-destroying rodents.

Wind had been visiting for the past two days, and had just up and left the night before (a circumstance Jane welcomed, despite the extra work it brought her). It had been an odd visit, though; he hadn't shown up crying, so he wasn't on the outs with his girlfriend du jour, and he hadn't asked for money.

Instead, he had holed up in his room, barely making his way outside those four walls. And then, he had just left, with no more explanation given than when he had arrived. He hadn't even spent any time inside the new "naming gazebo". All of which just made the usual littered state of his room even worse.

Having picked up every visible scrap of food, Jane gave the room a final once over, and noticed something she had missed, or ignored, the first time around. Lying on Wind's bed was a plain, unmarked videotape. She picked it up and examined it from all sides, but there was nothing to give a clue as to its origins or contents.

Jane: (Thoughts) I guess Wind forgot it. There's something intriguing about unmarked tapes, but it's probably just one of those marriage counseling TV shows he's so addicted to. Or maybe it's something a little more . . . private. Did Wind make videos like that?

Jane didn't know whether to be titillated or disgusted with the possibility. Well, I have to watch it now, just to find out. If it's one of those, I'll turn it off right away.

Normally, the TV in this room didn't have a VCR, but Jane noticed that there was one hooked up now. Looking closer, she realized that it was the set from the living room television.

Jane: (Thoughts) Wind must have brought it up here to watch the tape in private; maybe it really is him and some girl . . . ew.

Jane stuck out her tongue at the thought, but was still curious enough to try it out. She slid the tape into the deck, and pressed play . . .

Daria was sitting at her computer, searching for a starting point for her new Melody Powers story. Her T.V was on with a news report being played.

New reporter: Breaking news today Charles Lee Ray also know as The Great Lakes Strangler. Has died in a police chase. Eddie Caputo the partner to Charles Lee Ray, has just escaped. Police believe that he still in the city or is somewhere in the town close by the name of Royal Woods. More details to follow at the news at 9 next.

Then Jane burst into her room, waving a videotape over her head.

Jane: Yo, amiga, you've gotta see this!

She exclaimed as she walked over to Daria's television. Daria herself was surprised by her friend's enthusiasm; of the two of them, Daria was much more the film buff. Jane had accompanied her to a few arthouse screenings, but had never shown more than cursory interest. Jane's taste in film ran more towards the exploding head variety, which Daria found amusing only in small doses.